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Diagram of the Solstices and Equinoxes
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)
This diagram shows the positions of the Sun on the days of the solstices and equinoxes. The center constitutes the observer's position, facing south (the diagram's top). The thin yellow band framing the diagram is the horizon. Six yellow circles connected by three red arcs of decreasing size indicate sunrise (left) and sunset (right) at the summer solstice, the spring and autumn equinoxes, and the winter solstice respectively, while the arcs themselves show the Sun's path above the horizon on these days. At the arcs' midpoints are the midday Suns of the solstices and equinoxes. Six straight red lines on either side of the midday Suns indicate the Sun's positions at the third and ninth hours on these days.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Gruel and Englemann Collection, Paris [1]; acquired by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1903; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] no. 131, bookplate on inside upper board
Exhibitions
| 2013 | Living by the Book: Monks, Nuns, and Their Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2001-2002 | Expanding World Views: A Millennium of Maps. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1988 | Heavenly Bodies. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
United Kingdom, England (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 10 1/2 × W: 6 1/8 in. (26.7 × 15.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1903
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.73.3R
